Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Director of City Plans

SUBJECT:

Approval of Council Initiative - Proposed Commercial Drive BIA

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Section 456 of the Vancouver Charter gives Council the authority to create a Business Improvement Area (BIA). Council may grant money to a BIA for planning and implementation of business promotion schemes provided that the money is recovered through a special property tax.

Council policy with respect to the establishment of a BIA was approved on October 14, 1997 as follows:

A BIA may be established by Council Initiative; property owners and commercial tenants receive notification of the Initiative, and the BIA will not proceed if one-third or more of the owners representing one-third of the assessed property value, or one-third of the tenants, counted separately, are in opposition.

PURPOSE

The Commercial Drive Business Society (CDBS) has completed the first step in the process of establishing a new Business Improvement Area (BIA). The purpose of this report is to commence the second step, which is to approve the CDBS as sponsor of, and to commence a Council Initiative for, the proposed Commercial Drive BIA, and to forward the BIA application to the Court of Revision.

BACKGROUND

A Commercial Drive Business Association has existed at least since the 1970s. One of the CDBA's activities was organization of the annual `Italian Days' festival. For the last few years, the CDBA has been largely inactive. In April 1998, the Grandview Woodlands Community Policing Office invited local merchants and residents to a meeting to discuss the possibility of a BIA for Commercial Drive. The outcome of the meeting was inconclusive, with some participants strongly against the establishment of a BIA. A key issue was the perception of BIA levies as an additional tax to pay for the kind of services the City already funds from general revenues. On May 21, 1998 staff attended a follow-up meeting organised by a local business and attended by a small group of merchants. The group decided not to pursue a BIA at that time, but did entertain the possibility of reviving the Commercial Drive Business Association; however, this option was not pursued and no further meetings were held.

Earlier this year a new group of businesses decided to revive the CDBA, and approached the City with the intention of sponsoring a BIA application. They see a BIA as critical to maintaining the area's business vitality, and in particular dealing with the impacts of crime,drugs, and panhandling. The group is currently incorporating a new non-profit society under the name Commercial Drive Business Society (CDBS) to manage the proposed BIA.

DISCUSSION

The proposed Commercial Drive BIA comprises the 15 blocks of Commercial Drive between Venables, on the north, and the Grandview Cut, on the south. A map of the proposed boundary is attached as Appendix A.

The CDBS proposes a Year 1 budget of $100,000.00, representing an annual levy rate of $1.10 per $1,000.00 of assessed property value. A copy of the proposed budget is attached for information as Appendix B.

Outreach Activities

Since July of this year, the CDBS has been actively working toward the present BIA application. In August, the CDBS began conducting outreach activities to commercial tenants and property owners, and publicised the BIA proposal through flyers, public information meetings, and direct contact. The proposed BIA was also the subject of articles in the Vancouver Echo (September 8 and 22, 1999) and Courier (September 22, 1999) as well as the September issue of the Commercial Drive News. As part of their outreach, the CDBS distributed a `declaration of support' form to property owners and tenants, receiving back 20 completed support forms, 19 of which were from business tenants. The form did not ask for indications of opposition. Based on the support forms and their general outreach, the CDBS believes the BIA proposal is generally supported. The CDBS has also secured the support of the Britannia Community Centre and outside organizations, including the Mt. Pleasant and Gastown BIAs and the BC Film Commission.

The CDBS formally applied to the City for consideration of a BIA on October 12, 1999. A copy of their application letter and documentation of their outreach activities is attached as Appendix C (limited distribution - on file in the Office of the City Clerk).

Staff Comments - Outreach and Support

Staff are satisfied that the CDBS has notified all property owners and tenants within the proposed BIA boundaries. Staff attended two public information meetings held in September at Britannia Community Centre at which approximately 50 people were in attendance (in total). Accounting for sponsor group members, some of whom attended both meetings, at least 40 non-members attended. Participants seemed generally supportive; an informal show of hands yielded no votes of opposition.

The CDBS `declaration of support' form was sent to the owners of 140 properties and approximately 280 business tenants within the proposed BIA. As the CDBS received signed declarations back from 19 business tenants and 1 property owner, the response rate for its support form is low, with less than 7% of businesses replying, and virtually no response from the property owners. As the CDBS support form did not solicit negative responses, there is no documented evidence of opposition at this stage in the process.

At the instruction of staff, the CDBS notices contained the name and telephone number of the City's BIA Coordinator. The Coordinator received a call from one business tenant opposing the BIA. A local resident called expressing concerns about the BIA proposal, and reported having independently contacted several businesses which were opposed to the BIA proposal.

CONCLUSION

The Commercial Drive Business Society is requesting that Council consider approval of the proposed Commercial Drive BIA, and has asked that their application be forwarded by way of Council Initiative, to a Court of Revision, in order that they may commence operations as a BIA in April 2000. The results of CDBS outreach activities indicate only minimal opposition at this stage in the process.

NOTE FROM CLERK: ELECTRONIC COPIES OF APPENDICES ARE NOT AVAILABLE - ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK.

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